How To Use WordPress Robots.txt & Optimize For Search Engines

A WordPress robots txt (robots.txt) file is a small text file that points search engine bots to which parts of your website they can or cannot visit. It’s like a guide for search engines to understand which pages are important to crawl and which ones you want to keep private. For example, you may want to hide your admin pages or other sensitive site areas.

This file plays a key role in Search Engine Optimization because it helps search engines focus on the pages that matter most. By guiding bots efficiently, you can improve how a website appears in search results, boost rankings, and save the crawl budget.

In this guide, we show you how to create and use the WordPress robots txt (robots.txt) file on your website to make it work for you. We’ll explain what it is, why it’s important, and how to set it up correctly to help your website rank higher in search engines.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The WordPress robots.txt file tells search engines which parts of your site to crawl and which to skip.
• Use robots.txt to block irrelevant or sensitive areas, like wp-admin, while keeping important pages accessible.
• Add your sitemap to the file to guide search engines in finding all essential pages.
• Avoid blocking critical resources like CSS and JavaScript files, as they are required for proper site rendering.
• Test your robots.txt file using tools like Google Search Console to ensure it works as expected.
• Use advanced options like wildcards or multiple sitemaps for better control over large or complex sites.
• Remember, robots.txt is not a security measure; to protect private content combine it with other methods.
• Regularly check and update the file as your site grows to keep it aligned with your SEO goals.
• Following best practices ensures your robots.txt file improves your site’s visibility and search performance.

What is Robots txt in WordPress?

As we explained, a robots.txt is a simple text file used to communicate with search engine crawlers (also called spiders) like Googlebot. It tells these crawlers which parts of your website they should or shouldn’t explore. This helps you manage what gets indexed in search engines and keeps bots away from pages you don’t want to go public, like admin panels or private files.

When a search engine sees your site, it first looks at this file to understand its rules. For example, you can use it to block bots from crawling duplicate pages or a staging site, saving the crawl budget (this is the time search engine bots spend on your site) and helping search engines focus on your most important content.

By default, WordPress generates a basic robots.txt file for your site. This is a virtual file and isn’t stored in any directory. You can find it by adding /robots.txt to the end of your site’s URL (e.g., yourwebsite.com/robots.txt).

However, this default file may not include everything you need for proper SEO, so customize it. Here’s an example of WordPress default robots.txt file:

Here, you may have two questions:

1. How can I customize the WordPress default robots.txt file when I can’t open it in edit mode?
2. What if I don’t create a customized robots.txt for my WordPress website?

Let’s start with answering the first question. Although you can’t customize the default robots.txt file as it’s a virtual file, you can create a new robots.txt file in the WordPress root directory, which will override the default virtual robots.txt file.

Coming to the second question: if you don’t create a physical robots.txt file, your website will still be crawled; however, skipping it isn’t ideal.

Without this file, web bots will index everything on your site; this includes pages or files you’d prefer to keep private. This lack of control can lead to unintentional visibility of sensitive or irrelevant content.

Additionally, without a WordPress robots.txt file, your site may experience increased crawling activity from bots. This could affect its overall performance. Even if the impact seems small, site speed is critical. Visitors often leave websites that load too slowly, making it essential to optimize every aspect of your site to ensure a fast and smooth user experience.

Remember, creating a robots.txt file is straightforward, and you don’t need to be highly technical to set it up. You can customize it to be as simple or detailed as your site requires.

Understand Robots.txt Structure

The WordPress robots.txt file comprises simple rules that tell search engine crawlers what to do. To understand it better, let’s look at its main components:

• User-agent
• Disallow
• Allow
• Sitemap.

The User-agent is the first line in a rule and tells which search engine bot the rule applies to. For example: 

User-agent: Googlebot

This means the rule is for Google’s crawler. You can also use * as a wildcard to apply the rule to all bots: 

User-agent: *

The Disallow tells bots not to crawl specific parts of your website. For example: 

Disallow: /wp-admin/

This blocks bots from crawling the WordPress admin area.

Allow lets web bots crawl a specific page or folder, even if the parent folder is disallowed. For example: 

Allow: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php

However, the Sitemap helps bots find your site’s sitemap, which lists all important pages for crawling. For example: 

Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

You can add as many rules as you want. Each rule starts with a User-agent line, followed by one or more Disallow or Allow lines. Keep this simple and use one rule per line. Avoid typos, as crawlers strictly follow what’s written. Here’s an example of a basic robots.txt WordPress file: 

User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Allow: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

This structure ensures your site is crawled efficiently while protecting sensitive areas.

How to Create & Edit a Robots.txt File in WordPress

Before creating your custom WordPress robots.txt file, ensure you know the rules you want to add. For example, decide which pages or directories to block and whether to include your sitemap.

Once you’re ready, you can use various robots txt generator for WordPress like cPanel, FTP, or a plugin to create, upload, and manage your new robots.txt file for better control over search engine bots. Let’s start with the easiest approach.

Use an SEO Plugin

An easy way to create or edit a robots.txt file in WordPress is by using a plugin. Plugins simplify this process, even if you’re unfamiliar with coding or file management. However, several WordPress SEO plugins are available; each helps you manage your robots txt (robots.txt) file.

A popular and beginner-friendly option is the Yoast SEO plugin. It lets you create, edit, and customize your robots.txt file directly from your WordPress dashboard.

First, install and activate the Yoast SEO plugin. To do this, go to WordPress Dashboard → Plugins → Add New Plugin. Search for Yoast SEO. Click Install Now. Then, click Activate once the installation is complete.

Next, in your WordPress dashboard, go to Yoast SEO → Tools. Click File Editor.

Here, you’ll see an option to manage your WordPress robots.txt file. If this file already exists, Yoast will display its contents for editing. However, if it doesn’t exist, Yoast provides an option to create one by clicking Create robots.txt file.

Now, add the rules in the text editor provided. For example:

To allow all search engines:

User-agent: *
Allow: /

To block specific directories:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Disallow: /wp-includes/

To block a specific user-agent:

User-agent: BadBot
Disallow: /

Ensure your rules align with your SEO strategy and website requirements. After making changes, click Save changes to robots.txt.

Your updated robots.txt WordPress file will now go live and you can view it by appending /robots.txt to your website URL.

Manual Editing via FTP 

If you prefer more control over your robots.txt file, you can create or edit it manually using File Transfer Protocol (FTP). This method allows you to access your website’s files and make precise changes. To do this:

First, you’ll need an FTP client like FileZilla or WinSCP to connect to your website. Download and install an FTP client if you don’t already have one. Then, open the client and log in using your FTP credentials (usually provided by your web host after creating an FTP account).

Once connected, navigate to your site’s root directory: this is often named public_html or www. It contains your website’s core files. Now check if a WordPress robots.txt file already exists in the root directory. If you find it, download it to your computer for editing. 

If there isn’t one, create a new file on your PC using a text editor like Notepad. Save it as robots.txt. Next, add rules in the file. For example: 

User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Allow: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

Once your robots.txt file is ready, go to the FTP client you use. Locate your robots.txt file on the Local site panel (left-side), right-click it, and choose Upload. This will upload the file to the WordPress root directory. Alternatively, you can drag & drop the file into the public_html or www folder (on the right side). 

After that, check your root directory on the Remote site panel to confirm the file has been successfully uploaded. 

To ensure everything is working, open your browser and type yourwebsite.com/robots.txt. This should display your updated WordPress robots.txt file.

Use cPanel

If your hosting provider offers cPanel, you can use this method. This approach gives you direct access to your server files without relying on third-party plugins or tools.

It’s ideal for users who want a simple, manual method for managing their robots.txt file. Plus, with cPanel’s user-friendly interface, you can easily edit or update the file whenever required.  Here’s how to do it using cPanel:

Sign in to your cPanel account. Go to Files → File Manager. In File Manager, navigate to your website’s root directory. If you’re a Hosted.com user, it would be named public_html. If you have multiple websites, ensure you are in the folder for the correct domain.

Look for a file named robots.txt. If the file exists, select it and click Edit at the top of the File Manager toolbar.

If there isn’t one, click the + File button in the File Manager toolbar. A popup will show up. Name the file robots.txt and ensure you create it in the root directory. Then, click Create New File to finish.

Now, open the WordPress robots.txt file in cPanel’s built-in editor and add or modify rules as required. For instance, we added the following rule in our example:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Allow: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

Once you’ve added the rules, click Save Changes.

Again, visit yourwebsite.com/robots.txt to ensure the robots.txt WordPress file is live. 

Optimize robots.txt for Search Engines 

A well-optimized robots.txt file is essential for improving your website’s SEO. It ensures search engines focus on valuable content, avoid unnecessary areas, and efficiently crawl your site. Here we discover the key steps and best practices to optimize your WordPress robots.txt file:

1. Allow Search Engines to Crawl Important Content: Search engines need access to your most valuable pages, such as blog posts, product listings, and category pages. Ensuring these areas are crawlable allows them to appear in search results and rank higher. When setting up your robots.txt file, avoid blocking directories or pages that contain your primary content. This keeps your website visible to search engines and helps improve your SEO performance.

2. Block Irrelevant or Duplicate Content: To keep your site clean and focused, block sections that don’t add value to search results, like tag archives, search pages, or admin sections. For example, you can disallow these areas using directives like:

Disallow: /wp-admin/ 
Disallow: /search/ 
Disallow: /tag/ 

By doing this, you guide web bots in spending their crawl budget on pages that matter most to your visitors and business.

3. Use Wildcards & Regex in robots.txt: Wildcards (*) and regular expressions (regex) allow you to create flexible rules in your WordPress robots.txt file. For example:

Block all bots from crawling any URL containing “private”:

Disallow: /*private*

Allow only specific file types, such as PDFs:

Allow: /*.pdf$

These advanced techniques give you more precise control over your site’s content.

4. Include the Sitemap URL: Adding your sitemap URL to the robots.txt file helps search engines quickly locate all the important pages on your site. Sitemaps act like a roadmap for bots, ensuring they don’t miss any critical sections. Add this line to your file: 

Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml 

This small step enhances crawling efficiency and boosts your SEO efforts. However, if your website has multiple sitemaps, you can include all of them in the robots.txt file as follows:

Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap1.xml
Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap2.xml

This ensures search engines can find all sections of your site, improving crawling efficiency.

5. Avoid Common Mistakes: While configuring your robots.txt file, avoid errors that could harm your SEO. For example:

Ensure CSS and JavaScript files remain accessible, as search engines need them to render your site properly. For example, avoid overly restrictive rules like: 

Disallow: /wp-includes/ 

Be cautious not to block directories or folders that contain essential assets or pages. Review your file carefully to avoid unintended restrictions. Remember, complex rules can make your robots.txt file difficult to manage and prone to errors. Keep rules simple and focus on the most important directives.

To make the most of your WordPress robots.txt file, you must regularly review and update it as your site evolves. Avoid generic rules and customize directives based on your site’s requirements.

Always test your robots.txt file using tools like Google Search Console or online robots.txt validators (we discuss these in the next section). This helps you identify and fix errors before they impact your SEO.

Here’s an example of a well-optimized robots.txt file for a WordPress site: 

User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Allow: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
Disallow: /wp-login.php
Disallow: /tag/
Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

Important:

The WordPress robots.txt file controls site-wide crawling, while noindex meta tags work on individual pages. Use robots.txt to block entire folders or sections and noindex meta tags for specific pages. For example, you should use robots.txt to block /wp-admin/ directory. However, use noindex to prevent the indexing of a “Thank You” page.

Test Your WordPress robots.txt File

After you’ve edited and optimized your robots.txt file, manually or with a plugin, it’s important to test it. A small mistake, such as a typo, could mislead search engine bots, potentially blocking them from accessing your key content. This can negatively impact your SEO and lower your site’s visibility. By testing, you ensure your instructions are clear and functioning as expected.

The easiest way to test your WordPress robots.txt file is by using Google Search Console. If you haven’t connected your site yet, set this up first. Once connected, follow these steps:

1. Open Google Search Console.
2. From the dashboard, select the website (property) you want to test.
3. Click Settings in the side menu.
4. Navigate to Crawling and click OPEN REPORT next to the robots.txt file.

This tool is designed to identify any errors or warnings that may interfere with its performance.

Now, click on the number of issues under Issues.

You’ll see the line number with the error description. In our example, it says syntax is not understood in line 3. It’s because we wrote All instead of Allow.

Once you identify the error or warning, return and edit your WordPress robots.txt file to correct the issue. Remember, it will not reflect instantly in Google Search Console; only when your site is crawled again. If you want to do it quickly, return to Google Search Console and request a recrawl.

It will take a few minutes, then you’ll see that the error is gone.

You know your robots.txt file works perfectly when the tool shows no errors or warnings. Bots will now follow your rules as intended, helping improve your site’s crawl efficiency and SEO.

Alternatively, you can use the Robots.txt Test tool. Provide your domain name and click Checkup.

If everything’s ok, you’ll see SEO Score as follows:

When you have tested your robots.txt file successfully, you can focus on other optimization areas, knowing your site’s instructions to search engines are clear and effective.

Limitations & Considerations of robots.txt File

The WordPress robots.txt (robots.txt) file is a powerful tool for managing how search engines crawl your website, but it has limitations and requires careful handling. Below are the key considerations you should be aware of when using this file:

Not a Security Feature

One of the biggest misconceptions about the WordPress robots.txt file is that it can be used to hide sensitive information or pages from search engines. In reality, the file is not a WordPress security tool.

Search engine bots are programmed to respect the rules in robots.txt, but malicious bots often ignore these instructions. For example, if you disallow a directory in robots.txt, a bot that disregards these rules can still crawl and index it. Protect sensitive content using proper authentication methods or by placing it behind a firewall.

Not all Bots Follow Robots.txt

While major search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo adhere to the robots.txt rules, many other bots do not. This includes web scrapers, spam bots, and older or rogue crawlers. As a result, relying only on robots.txt to control access can expose certain parts of your site to unwanted activity.

Can’t Prevent Indexing of Blocked Pages

Another important limitation is that disallowing a URL in robots.txt prevents it from being crawled but not necessarily from being indexed. For example, if external links point to a blocked page, search engines may still index the URL, even if they can’t view the content. To prevent indexing, use a noindex meta tag on the page, plus the disallow rule in robots.txt.

Potential to Block Essential Resources

Improper configuration of the WordPress robots txt (robots.txt) file can accidentally block essential files required to render your website correctly, such as JavaScript or CSS. When these resources are blocked, search engines may misinterpret your site’s layout and functionality, negatively impacting your SEO. Always review your file to ensure important assets are not restricted.

Misconfigurations Can Harm SEO

A simple typo or incorrect rule in the WordPress robots txt (robots.txt) file can have significant consequences. For instance, a misplaced disallow rule could block the crawling of critical parts of your website, resulting in a loss of search engine visibility. It’s crucial to regularly test and review your robots.txt file to avoid these errors.

Limited Control Over Crawl Frequency

While WordPress robots txt (robots.txt) can guide bots on what to crawl, it does not allow you to control how frequently bots visit your site. If there is a high server load because of excessive crawling, address it with other methods, such as setting Crawl-delay parameters (supported only by some search engines) or managing server performance.

Rules Can be Overwritten

Conflicts can arise if multiple robots.txt files exist because of subdomains or mismanagement. For example, if one file allows access while another disallows it, bots may follow different rules, leading to inconsistent crawling. Always ensure only one correctly configured robots.txt file governs your website.

Publicly Accessible

The WordPress robots txt (robots.txt) file is publicly accessible at yourdomain.com/robots.txt. Anyone, including competitors, can view your file to see which parts of your site you’re trying to restrict. While this isn’t inherently harmful, it underscores why the file should not be used for hiding sensitive information.

Requires Maintenance

As your website evolves, so should your WordPress robots txt (robots.txt) file. New pages, directories, or features may require updates to the file. Failing to update it can lead to outdated or irrelevant rules, which may block newly added content or expose areas you intended to protect.

The WordPress robots txt (robots.txt) file is a useful tool for managing search engine crawlers, but it is not a comprehensive solution for controlling access or protecting content. It should be used thoughtfully, with a clear understanding of its limitations.

Complement it with other methods, like meta tags, server configurations, and proper authentication, to create a robust website management and SEO strategy. Regular reviews and testing are essential to ensure the file meets your needs as your website grows.

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